This invention relates to a support system for use in the construction industry and more particularly to a bracing apparatus which is especially useful for prefabricated or on-site wall construction. The construction industry has long been faced with the problems of supporting a wall vertically so that it will resist windloads prior to its connection with other structural elements. One of the more common methods of providing such bracing involves wooden members which are secured at an angle against the wall, usually by proping one end against the wall to be braced and securing the other end with a peg. This method has proved to be unsatisfactory for many reasons including the wasteful and expensive use of the lumber, and the impracticality of such a system under certain environmental conditions, such as where the ground is either too soft or too hard, or the floor slab had already been poured so that there is no way to anchor the wood member. Various means have been proposed as alternatives to such a wooden brace including, for example, those suggested in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,511,584 and 3,817,006 as well as in Italian Pat. No. 529,964. Each of these references shows, in one form or another, a vertical support member which is placed against the side of the wall to be braced, a non-flexible horizontal strut member connected to the bottom end of the vertical support member, and at least one adjustable diagonal member which connects the horizontal and vertical members to form a triangular base.
While such devices have been used as alternatives to the wood brace they are relatively heavy and expensive as well as somewhat inflexible in their application because of the limitations inherent in the rigid nature of the members comprising the brace.